1917 – Third Premiated Entry for NUI Senate House, Dublin

Third placed entry for a new university senate for the National University of Ireland on the corner of Merrion Square at Fitzwilliam and Mount Streets. Received a premium of £50.

“In this plan (by Mr Edwin Bradbury, F.R.I.A.I, Dublin) the examination hall occupies the south-east corner of the site, with main entrance and crush hall from Upper Mount-street, and other entrances from the main corridor which runs behind and serves the range of offices facing Mount-street. The large hall is designed with a recess at each end— one for a platform and the other containing a gallery which is approached by a stair, which also serves the small hall on the first floor. The registrar’s offices are at the Fitzwilliam-street end of the plot, and the main office entrance is at the same end in Mount-street, balancing the entrance to large hall at the opposite end of the frontage. The senate room, with its attendant retiring and robing rooms, is on the first floor and approached by a grand staircase in the north-west corner of the building. The second floor accommodates the reference library and various offices, whilst the basement is occupied by the caretaker’s apartments, a range of stere rooms, lavatories and heating chamber. Centrally in the building occurs the general service staircase, the passenger lift and lavatories on each floor. It was obvious that not even the simplest style of building could be erected to fulfil the requirements of the senate within the stipulated amount of £19,000; but in this scheme every legitimate effort was made to reduce expense; the elevational treatment is based upon the typical Dublin Georgian style, the site being in the middle of a residential district of that period; the materials proposed to be adopted were Co. Dublin granite in the lower story, red brick above, and Irish limestone dressings.”